Eustachio Manfredi (continued)
In 1690 Manfredi, together with other scientists of note (including doctor Giovan Battista Morgagni), founded the Accademia degli Inquieti (i.e. Academy of the Restless), which took a particular interest in the new philosophical systems such as those of Descartes, Leibniz and Newton, and the experimental and observational study of natural phenomena.
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Fig. 1: A modern glass panel in the Science Institute of Bologna, with the emblem of the Academy of the Restless, made especially by the Science Academy. The snake biting its tail is a symbol of eternity and encloses the Earth and the Moon over a starlit sky. We can see a light part (day) and a part in shadow (night). The symbols of time are thus framed within the symbol of eternity. The lack of a visible Sun frees the Academy from having to take a stance in the argument between geocentric and heliocentric systems. The motto "Mens agitat" is taken from Virgil. (Credit: Science Academy of Bologna) |
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The Academy of the Restless
- a leading force in Bolognese cultural circles - contributed significantly to the creation of the
Science Institute, founded by Count
Luigi Ferdinando Marsil.
Here, astronomy played a dominant role and formed the basis for a new scientific system, as opposed
to the Aristotelian system.
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Fig. 2:
The
instruments of Lusverg, used by Manfredi in the Marsili Observatory, now
on display in the Meridian Room of the
Museo della Specola
the very same place where they were used after the construction of the Science
Institute’s astronomy tower.
(Credit: Museo della Specola, Bologna University) |
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